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Abstract
Death and grief are a natural part of human development. However, the meaning of death and how individuals react to it is deeply embedded in their cultural norms (Osterweis, Solomon, Green, 1984). Emotional expressions to death have been indicated to be non-universal, and culture determines which emotions are actually felt, how they are expressed, and how they are comprehended by the individual (Rosenblatt, 1997, as cited in Hayslip & Peveto, 2005). The entire experience of bereavement has been shown to vary cross-culturally. In particular, the area of Islamic Middle Eastern perspectives on bereavement, grief, and mourning was explored. The grief experience among Muslims was found to be impacted by their belief in God and the role they need to play as a devout Muslim. The conceptualization of loss is organized around the belief that there needs to be an inherent acceptance of loss because this was God's decision (Garces-Foley, 2006). This paper includes a selective literature review that has been critiqued as well as interviews with field experts that are knowledgeable about this subject matter. In addition clinical implications are included to highlight how clinicians should provide culturally sensitive care to Middle Eastern Muslims. The limitations of this doctoral project and suggestions for future research are also addressed.
